2015 Irving Tennis Classic Partners with Emily's Place

IRVING, Texas, Feb. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2015 Irving Tennis Classic, an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger Tour event held annually at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, announced that Emily's Place will serve as the main beneficiary of the fourth annual tournament.

Emily's Place is a nonprofit organization that provides long-term transformational housing and resources for domestic violence survivors in Dallas and Collin County.

The Irving Tennis Classic is nestled between the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California and the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. The weeklong tournament attracts an outstanding field of internationally ranked players to the DFW Metroplex to fine tune their game en route to Miami. All proceeds generated from the Irving Tennis Classic will now benefit Emily's Place.

"We are providing services to more kids and women in our community than ever before, and have just completed phase one of a new transformational housing ministry," said Emily's Place founder Mark Hagan. "We have plans to build two more residential housing units, each with 28 beds, that will triple the number of women and children we are able to serve over time. Statistics show that 1 in 3 women will suffer some type of abuse in their lifetime, and fundraising support from this tournament will help accelerate our expansion to meet the need."

Longtime friends through tennis, Mark Hagan and tournament owner Vince Menard often discussed finding a way to support survivors of domestic violence through a large-scale fundraising event.

"This is just an incredible alliance," explained Zoltan Papp, Tournament Director. "The same way Challengers are considered stepping stones to the next echelon of professional tennis, we recognize that Emily's Place is the next step in the continuum of care when a women comes from a shelter. We also like the fact that Emily's Place is still early on in its expansion project, and that funds raised from this event will have a noticeable impact towards their growth."

The City of Irving will return as title sponsor, and the tournament will take place March 16-22 at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit irvingtennisclassic.com.

About Irving Tennis ClassicThe ATP Irving Tennis Classic (previously Dallas Tennis Classic) is an international level Challenger event governed by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) offering $125,000 in prize money. The tournament features a 32-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw. The annual event is held between the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California and the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida. For more information about the Irving Tennis Classic at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, go to the tournament's website at IrvingTennisClassic.com or follow the tournament on Twitter (@irvingclassic).

About Emily's PlaceEmily's Place was founded in 2002 and is considered one of the leading agencies in the area as it relates to providing a long-term solution for women and children who are survivors of domestic violence. Its mission is to break the cycle of domestic violence for women and their children through long-term transformational care that seeks to restore faith, hope, and health. Emily's Place offers domestic violence survivors a hand-up, not a hand-out, by providing up to 24 months of care and transformational housing to get women back to a point of becoming self sufficient. The two-year program provides resources such as childcare, counseling and life skill training to women and children so they can become self-sufficient, thriving members of the community. For more information or to make a donation, please visit www.emilysplacetx.org.